Love is the Best Medicine
by Kibo no Hikari
Summary: SC2. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a severe case of the
1. In the Beginning

Love is the Best Medicine

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter.  
Parings: Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_.'_Words_ ' thought" Words " speech, _Words _song lyrics" Words " more than one person speaking, **Words **emphasis

* * *

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

It was one of the coldest days of Erin's life, and for more than one reason. Ever since September eleventh 2001, her family had been torn apart. Her mother had died when the first tower collapsed (a man she worked with and knew her said she let some people, including a blind man and his Seeing Eye dog, leave the floor before the ceiling caved in) and her grandfather in the second (he and a few others were trapped behind some debris and he had a heart attack while helping to move it). One of the people he was trapped with carried him outside. He said he'd tried everything to wake him up. The last time she and her brother (on leave from the army (a private)) heard their voices was when they called her on her cell phone.

Her brother was also a touchy subject. He'd been in Iraq for six months now. She often wrote to him, sometimes asking about their father, who died in a car accident a month afterher first birthday. He didn't seem to be writing back, though, which worried her. As far as she knew, she didn't have any relatives to stay with. All her grandparents were dead now and she didn't have any aunts or uncles (both her parents were only children). Once her friend Charlie's mom Laura and his step dad Neil heard she didn't have anywhere to stay for Christmas, they immediately took her in.

Thoughts of Charlie and his family always brought a smile to Erin's face, like they were doing now. She couldn't help but think of another Christmas eight years ago. Her mom had taken a much needed vacation from taking care of her job and family, so they each got to stay at a friends house Christmas Eve and she'd pick them up in the morning. While her brother was at his friend Justin's, she was with Charlie and his dad Scott. At first, it seemed the holidays would be terrible. Scott burnt the turkey and they had to eat at Denny's. Things got more interesting as the night went by.

_Flashback:_

_"Hey, you" Scott Calvin yelled up to the man on his roof. The man slipped and fell off the roof with a thud. Charlie and Erin had pulled on their coats and were standing on the steps. "WOW! It's Santa!" "Charlie, Erin, just stay there. Stay there." The two children ignored him and ran over to his side. "You killed him."_

_End Flashback:_

From there it was even more fun. Scott, Charlie, and Erin delivered the gifts and went to the North Pole. There they met Bernard, the Head Elf. Now, eight years later, Mr.C as she called him was the new Santa. Most kids made fun of her because she still believed in Santa at the age of 16, but they didn't understand. After all the stuff she'd been through, she **needed** something to believe in. Besides, there was more to it than that. As Judy (another elf they met eight years ago) had said before, seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing, and she had sure seen a lot over the course of eight years.

* * *

Charlie was worried about Erin. Ever since her mother's death she hadn't talked much about anything. The only things that always struck up a conversation were Christmas and his dad. So, on the same day Erin was reminiscing, Charlie grabbed the snow globe Bernard had given him when they last saw each other. He remembered that moment well. 

_Flashback:_

_"I love you Santa Claus." Charlie was crying as he gave his father a huge hug before he left. "I love you too, son." Everyone else was silent. Suddenly, they heard another voice. "What's all this boo-hooing in here" Bernard showed up eating Neil's pita sandwich. "It's nothing, Bernard. I'm just saying goodbye to my son." "What goodbye? Charlie, you still have the glass ball, right" Charlie, still sniffling, nodded. "Well, all you gotta do is shake it when you want to see your dad." "Really?" "Hey, have I ever steered you wrong?"_

_End Flashback:_

Charlie smiled, then shook the snow globe and ran downstairs to wait. Soon, Scott Calvin stood in the middle of the living room. "What's up, Sport" Charlie sighed. "I'm really worried about Erin, dad. She hardly talks, barely eats, and almost never sleeps." Scott knew they'd talk about this eventually, ever since the accident. He sighed as he sat on the couch.

"Well what do you want me to do, Sport" "I have an idea. Do you think Erin could stay at the North Pole for awhile" Scott sighed again. "I don't know, Charlie. What would the elves think?" "Please, dad." Scott couldn't resist the look on his sons face. "Oh, alright. Bring her here." Charlie's face immediately brightened up. "She's in the back yard. I'll be right back."

* * *

Erin was so overjoyed she almost forgot to tell Scott thank you. Christmas at the North Pole! She couldn't wait. Right now, she was packing everything she'd need: Sweaters? Check. Jeans? Check. Laptop? Check. Sketchbooks? **Double check**. She never went **anywhere** without her sketchbooks. CD player and favorite CDs? Check. 

She'd finished packing her backpack, now it was time to pack her smaller backpack (a purse designed to look like a backpack). She threw a few barrettes in, followed by some hair ribbons, then a few bracelets. The only thing left to pack was a picture of her mother, her brother, and herself at the beach when she was ten. She held the picture for a moment, remembering part of that vacation extremely well.

_Flashback:_

_"I'm gonna get you!" Her brother Nathan was chasing her around the beach. Their mother was relaxing by a half - finished sand castle. All of them were smiling and laughing. "Hey, Mommy! I bet you can't catch me!" Her mother, grinning, stood up, yelled"Oh, yes I can!" and ran to join them in the water._

_End Flashback:_

She thrust the photo into her backpack as tears began welling up in her blue eyes. _'Think about something else, Erin. You haven't received the Letter yet, so he can't be dead. ' _Silently, she threw a few DVDs into thebackpack and left her room. Once she reached the living room she sat down with Laura, Neil, and Charlie to wait for Judy (Scott had to leave (there was a security issue or something) so he told her Judy would come to get her).

"Hey, Erin." She jumped a mile and turned to see Judy's smiling face. "Oh, hi Judy. Please don't do that." Judy giggled a bit, and then reached out for her hand. As she took it, she turned to say good-bye. "Bye, Charlie. Bye, Lara. Bye, Neil." "Bye!" And with that, Judy and Erin teleported to the North Pole.

* * *

Authors Note: I know it's a little boring, but it'll get better, trust me. Oh, and please review. I'm not too desperate, but I have a sequel on the way, and if nobody reviews I won't post it. oh, and the letter she's referring to is the letter a family gets when a family member dies in the army.


	2. Friends, New and Old

Chapter 2: Friends, New and Old

"We're at Elfcon 4! All clear" Santa sighed as he looked down at his Number Two Elf, Curtis, who had almost exposed them to a passing plane because of his music. "Curtis, what do you say we get you a nice pair of headphones for Christmas" Bernard looked at Curtis sternly as Santa left. "Curtis, you're nine - hundred years old. Grow up" "Bernard" Bernard followed Santa after giving Curtis a '_you - are - so - annoying_' look.

As they walked across the town square Curtis tried desperately to defend himself. "You know I wasn't breaking any rules. According to the _Santa Handbook_ . . ." "The _Handbook_. Curtis, do you go pee - pee with that thing" Curtis chose to ignore Bernard's comment. "It says that elves are encouraged to listen to music. It helps them be more creative and, well, more alert. LOOK OUT" All three of them ducked, as a reindeer flew over their heads, only to crash not too far away.

"Whoa. IS HE ALRIGHT" Some of the elves ran over to examine the fallen creature, then shouted back. "HE'S OKAY, SANTA" Santa directed his next series of questions at Bernard and Curtis. "Wow. Was that Blitzen? It looked like Prancer. Who was that" Curtis smiled and looked up at him. "That was Chet." "Chet" "One of our reindeer - in - training." Santa seemed satisfied. "Please tell me it's early in his training."

That's when Santa noticed Judy running over to him, probably about their guest. "Judy! Is or guest settled in" Judy, pausing to take a breath, nodded. "Yes, Santa. They're very happy with the arraignments. Abbie and I are giving them the tour now, so we might see you in the workshop." Bernard and Curtis happened to eavesdrop on their conversation. "What guest? Who're you talking about?" "Let's just say it's an old friend of mine."

Bernard, Santa, and Curtis were making their daily inspections when they saw Abbie and Judy walking over leading a human girl around by her hands. The girl was wearing a silver short-sleeved turtleneck with a black skirt with pleats. She also wore a pair of black ankle - high boots with white socks. On one side of her head she'd braided a long, skinny braid into her strawberry blonde hair with three strands of silver tinsel in it. Bernard thought she looked a little familiar, but Curtis had never seen her before in his life.

"Santa, how'd a human get here? Isn't this a security breach or something" Santa was about to answer him when the three girls reached them. The girl gave Santa a huge hug. "Long time, no see, Mr. C." Santa laughed at the sound of his old nickname. "Feel free to call me Santa. I'm sure you didn't forget Bernard." Laughing, the girl turned to Bernard. "Of course I didn't. I only hope he didn't forget me." Suddenly, a memory of eight years ago sprang into his head.

_Flashback:_

_Bernard stared down at the two children that had suddenly appeared behind Santa. "Who're they" Santa/Scott looked down at them. "This is my son Charlie." He pointed to the boy right by his leg. He had somewhat messy brown hair and brown eyes. "Hiya,sport." Charlie was amazed. "Did ya hear that, Dad? He called me sport, just like you do." Bernard smiled; he was always glad to make a kid happy._

_"And this is his friend, Erin." The little girl shyly stepped forward, her eyes cast down to the floor. Her hair was reddish - blonde and in two ponytails on either side of her head. He bent down to where he was at eyelevel with her. "Hi Erin. My name's Bernard." She tilted her head up, and Bernard noticed her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue - green._

_"Hi, Bernard." She smiled, showing braces with red and green bands. He laughed a bit. "At least someone likes to show their Christmas spirit." This made Erin laugh. "Why aren't you at home in bed" "The doctor told my mom to take a vacation by herself, so I got to stay with Charlie. I have an older brother, too, but he's at Justin's instead."_

_End Flashback:_

Bernard couldn't believe his eyes. "Erin" She giggled a little. "Nice to see you to, Bernard." "Ahem. I'm still here." Curtis was getting a little annoyed because they were ignoring him. "Oh, Erin, this is our number two elf, Curtis." "Hi." She grinned at him. "Hi, Curtis." "Alright, I'll take over the tour now. Girls, back to work." "But Santa" "Don't 'But Santa' me, you two." "Aww." The two girls trudged off after saying bye to Erin.

As the four of them walked around, a little elfess in a baker's hat walked up to them. "Do you want a cookie, Santa" "Do I want a cookie? Yes. What's fresh" She handed him a sugar cookie. "Mmmm. Sweet just like you." She smiled a sweet smile and was about to leave when Santa stopped her. "Kim, I want you to meet Erin." "Hi, Erin. Do you want a cookie" "Sure. Thanks, Kim." And she accepted the chocolate - chip cookie before Kim left.

They followed Santa around until he stopped near a balcony on the second floor. "Hey, Joey" An elf wearing a green hat with a red pom - pom on the end leaned over the railing. "How's that static - free tinsel coming" The elf smirked, and then called behind his back"Hey guys! Santa wants to see the new tinsel." Suddenly, tons of red and silver tinsel rained down on them!

Most of it landed on either the floor or Santa, but Bernard's head was covered as well. Erin and Curtis, fortunately, were standing a bit farther away than them, so no tinsel landed on them. As all the elves burst into laughter, Santa began speaking to the tinsel dumpers"You know, I cold come up there and settle this the hard way" He paused for dramatic effect before adding"Or, we could go outside and play some football." This caused the elves to cheer like crazy. Anxious to see the North Pole version of the NFL, Erin ran after Santa, unaware that Bernard and Curtis were lagging behind.

Erin was so exited! She was going to witness something no other human had ever seen - Santa playing football with his elves. As Bernard and Curtis caught up to her on the stairs, she couldn't help but giggle a bit. "What" "You looked so ridiculous with your head covered in tinsel. You still have some in your hair, by the way." Blushing a bit (which was **really **weird for him. He **never** blushed.), he began to pick tinsel out of his hair while Erin continued giggling.

The quarterback began to shout their play while Santa tried to seem intimidating. Erin noticed that the lines came from one of her favorite carols. "SEVEN SWANS - A -SWIMMING! SIX GEESE - A - LAYING" "**FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!**" "HUTT" This was a brilliant play. All but a few elves ganged up on Santa, preventing him from tackling the ones with the football.

Once the one named Joey scored a touchdown, they all dog pilled Santa. All the spectators, including Erin, cheered. Then, as all the other elves went back to work she, Bernard, and Curtis walked over. "You guys aren't elves, you're wizards! No matter how many times you call that play, I never see it coming" Then Bernard broke in. "Santa, we need to talk."


	3. The Single, Most Important Detail

Chapter 3: The Single Most Important Detail

Santa's room/office was amazing. It had changed so much since her last visit eight years ago. It seemed more colorful and alive. As always, the puppets Punch and Judy were still there. Bernard was helping Santa get ready for a meeting between the legendary figures when Abbie came in with two mugs of cocoa. "I brought some cocoa for you, Santa. You can have some, too, Erin." "Now is not the time, Abbie." She ignored Bernard and went up to Santa's desk.

"I sent Dasher down for some Brazilian cocoa beans yesterday." Having never tasted Brazilian cocoa, Erin got up from the floor to get her mug. Santa, on the other hand, looked at Abbie rather skeptically. "So, what's the bad news" Abbie, a smile plastered on her face, replied"What do you mean" "When you play the 'designer bean card', generally you have bad news." The smile faded from her face as she handed him a roll of parchment.

"What are you doing with the naughty and nice list" "Just don't shoot the messenger." Erin had a feeling that she knew what this was about as Santa began to unroll the list. "It's . . . Charlie." "Sheen? I thought he straitened out." Abbie shook her head. "Not that Charlie." Now Erin was** positive **that her guess was right. Her suspicions were confirmed when Santa said"My Charlie. My son Charlie is on the naughty list? There must be some mistake." Again, Abbie shook her head. "We don't make mistakes. I'm sorry, Santa." And with that, Abbie left.

"Is this what you and Curtis were trying to tell me" At that moment, Curtis walked in pushing a strange machine with magnifying glasses. "Great! You told him! Now I can get you dressed for that meeting." Clearly, Curtis was talking about something else. "I can't have the meeting here. I've gotta go see Charlie." Bernard decided to take control, not wanting Curtis to get off so easily. "Curtis, tell him **now**." "Santa, there's a Clause." "Well, that would be me." "No, there's **another** Santa Clause." "Curtis, if you haven't noticed, the malls this time of year are filled with other 'Santa Clauses'" This was starting to remind both Bernard and Erin of when Scott first became Santa.

_Flashback_:

_"You read the card, you put on the suit, and so you fell subject to the Santa Clause." Bernard was leading Scott and Erin around while trying to explain everything. Note the word 'trying'. Well, at least Erin understood him. 'She also doesn't mess up my name.' "Oh, you mean the guy on my roof." "No, not Santa Claus the person. Santa Clause the clause." "What" Bernard, desperately trying to not raise his voice, turned around. "Look. You're a businessman, right? A clause as in the last line of the contract."_

_End Flashback_:

"No, I mean there's another Santa **Clause**. There was a first clause but there's also a second clause." Erin was getting board and, apparently, so were Punch and Judy. "**Get on with it!**" Curtis pulled out the business card Scott found on the last Santa. "When the last Santa fell off your roof, you found this." "Yeah. 'He who wears the coat takes on the responsibilities of Santa' and, of course, the rest would be history." Bernard nodded"Right. But it seems our number two elf" He turned to face Curtis. "The keeper of the _Handbook,_ overlooked the **SINGLE, MOST** **IMPORTANT DETAIL IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS"**

Erin had **never **seen Bernard this mad. It was actually really entertaining. Curtis, however, was undaunted. "Wow. One mistake in nine - hundred years." "What is going on here" Bernard then proceeded to pull up a set of magnifying glasses, the largest one being the one that gave them the best view of the card on the stand. Curiosity getting the best of her, Erin joined them around the odd device.

To her surprize, she saw the most miniscule letters she'd ever seen hidden in the red design. Santa began reading them out loud. " 'The cardholder acknowledges the woman of his choosing (not valid in the state of Utah) to be joined in holy . . . MATRIMONY!' I've gotta get married" " Yes, it's the Mrs. Clause." "Well what if I don't want to get married" Santa chose that moment to tighten his belt, showing them how thin he'd suddenly become.

"Oh, no. The de - santification process has begun" Curtis managed to say all in one breath. "De - santification? You mean in that clause it says that if I don't get married I don't get to be Santa" Now Erin started to get worried. If Scott de - santified, she wouldn't get to stay with him anymore. "What about the kids? What about the elves? What about you guy's" "Don't worry, Santa. There's still time for you to find a wife." Erin was becoming skeptical. "How much time does he have" Curtis answered her. "28 days."

"So he's gotta find a wife by Christmas." "Actually Christmas Eve." Santa looked as if he'd lost all hope, which he had. "I guess it's over." "No! You can't give up! Because if you do, we have to." Erin walked over to Santa's side. "Please don't give up Mr. C. After all, nothing is impossible." Bernard hadn't known her to be so optimistic. Suddenly, Santa's beard grew shorter before their eyes"Christmas is getting very complicated."

AN:Review please! With fingers crossed behind her back I'll give you ramen and pocky!


	4. Kiss the Girl

Love is the Best Medicine

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC

Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.

Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_.

' _Words_ ' thought, " Words " speech, _Words _ song lyrics, " Words " more than one person speaking, **Words ** emphasis

This chapters dedicatedto **Lady D** for being the first revewer! You get ramen and pocky **eventually**! YAY!

Chapter 4: Kiss the Girl

After being introduced to the council Erin had gone to her room. She would've stayed but meetings (even when they were at the North Pole) bored her. Right next door was Bernard's room, but he wasn't in right now. She was a little upset since she wanted to talk to him about, well, everything. So, until he returned, she decided to download music videos from the Internet (with permission, of course).

Right now she'd found a really good one for Hermione and Draco. She always liked the idea of a doomed romance, so H/D was one of her favorite parings. This one was set to '_My Immortal_' by Evanescence. She'd downloaded it completely and had begun watching it.

_I'm so tired of being here  
__Suppressed by all my childish fears  
__And if you have to leave  
__I wish that you would just leave  
__Your presence still lingers here  
__And it won't leave me alone_

She quickly turned it off and looked for another video. That song reminded her of her mom and all the good times they'd had. She knew she'd have to talk about it soon. If she didn't, the pain would continue to eat away at her. She just wasn't ready yet. She hadn't even talked to Neil and Charlie. After awhile, she found another video she liked and hit the download button.

As she waited for it to finish, she thought about Bernard. He didn't look like he'd changed much (except for his clothes, but her style had changed, too), but was he the same old (no pun intended) bossy head elf she knew and loved? Her thoughts were interrupted by a small beep signaling the download was complete. She hit play and waited. This video was for Harry Potter in general. The song was '_Crash and burn_' by Savage Garden. As she listened to the words she wondered if she would ever have a friend like that.

_When you feel all alone  
__And the world has turned its back on you  
__Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart  
__I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
__It's hard to find relief when people can be so cold  
__When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore_

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

A sudden knock on her door brought her back to reality. "Come in." She turned to see Bernard walk in. "How's your room?" "Fine. Are things running smoothly?" "Pretty much. What've you been doing lately?" "Nothing much. I'm in choir, art, and drama now. I'm also one of the most talked about popular girls in school." This made Bernard smile a bit. It probably had something to do with the fact that she still believed in Santa Claus. "Does it have to do with Santa?" "No, actually it doesn't. It's because I always turn down any guy who asks me out on a date."

This shocked Bernard a bit. She didn't have a boyfriend yet? "You don't have a boyfriend?" "Nope." There was an awkward silence. "Don't get me wrong, I mean, they were all great guys, but none of them seemed to match me." The music video reached its end and she began to look for another one. "If I don't feel drawn to a guy, then I don't think their right for me." "So you weren't drawn to any of them?" "Nope." He didn't know why, but the thought of her being with another guy made Bernard so angry.

"So, how's Charlie?" "Fine." As she surfed the net, she felt a small pain in her chest near her heart. How could he ask about Charlie and not about her, or Nathan, or something about the towers or her mother? How could he be so heartless? She found a video for the pairing Ron and Hermione and, without looking at the song, pushed play.

_There you see her  
__Sitting there across the way  
__She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her  
__And you don't know why but your dying to try  
__You want to kiss the girl_

Bernard couldn't understand what was wrong. Then, suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd forgotten all the tragedy that had happened last year. That was probably why she was so quiet now, because he'd forgotten about her mother's death! Franticly, he tried to fix his mistake. "How have you been lately?" '_Stupid idiot! That doesn't have anything to do with her mother!_' She gave him a small smile, though, so she took it the right way. "It's still a little hard for the mind to process, even after a year. The fact that Nathan stopped writing to me doesn't help much. He's probably busy, though, so I don't blame him."

_Yes you want her  
__Look at her you know you do  
__Possible she wants you too there is one way to ask her  
It don't take a word not a single word  
__Go on and kiss the girl_

Erin suddenly got this really weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was very confusing. _'What's going on? I haven't_ _had this feeling since the third grade when_ _I_ . . . _no, that's not possible. I must be sick or something. It must be an ulcer! Yeah, that's what it is, an ulcer._' She wasn't the only one feeling this way. Bernard had the sudden urge to just hold her, not to talk about anything, just hold her. It was starting to scare him. '_I've got to get out of here, just until I calm down. I can't be sick, elves are immune to sickness. Then what is it?' _

_Sha - la - la - la - la - la my oh my  
__Looks like the boy's to shy  
__Aint gonna kiss the girl  
__Sha - la - la - la - la - la aint that sad  
__Aint it a shame too bad  
__He's gonna miss the girl_

Bernard chose that moment to leave. He had to help Santa, anyway. "Well, I promised Santa and Curtis I'd meet them in the Universal Pantograph room. I'll, um, see you later, I guess." Now he **knew **something was wrong. He never said 'um' or anything related to it. What washappeningto him? At the same time, Erin didn't want him to leave. "Oh, okay. See ya." He all but sprinted for the door. Once outside, he noticed that his face had been burning up in there. '_Spirit of Christmas, what's wrong with me?_' He hurried down the hall, planning to tell Santa as soon as they were alone.

AN: Just in case you forgot, Nathan isErin's older brother and he's in the Army.

Review, people! I don't want this to die on me! See? There preparing it's grave! points to some men digging a ditch  
Don't let them kill it!


	5. The Toy Santa

Love is the Best Medicine 

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way (8.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. '_thought'_, "speech" , _song_ _lyrics_, "more than one person speaking" , **emphasis**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Toy Santa

"Okay, everyone! Can I have the room for a minute? Thank you! Take a cocoa break." The elves were leaving just as Erin arrived. Santa had called her down to hear Curtis's plan. She'd known that Bernard would be there, but there was no reason to worry. After all, it was just an ulcer earlier, wasn't it? She hurried over to them while Curtis and Santa started talking about some technical stuff.

"What's this and what does it do?" she asked no one in particular. Curtis puffed out his chest proudly before answering, "It's called the Universal Pantograph and it can shrink, copy, and enlarge toys." "I see. Pretty cool." Bernard was surprised that she was interested in that stuff. Meanwhile, Santa and Curtis continued their conversation. "Wait a minute, you tripled the ram . . . Curtis I see where this is going. I'm not getting in there." Bernard jumped in just then. "Besides, making a copy of Santa won't fix anything."

"I've added a fuzzy intelligence chip. So while you're looking for a wife and dealing with Charlie in New York, " "The toy Santa will be here melting in front of my fireplace." "No, the toy Santa will be dealing with business up here." "I can deal with business up here. Santa, if the elves ever found out we'd made a switch . . ." He then proceeded to make a hilarious face while gasping, which caused Erin to stifle a laugh. "No, no. This machine is not the answer!"

It was at that precise moment, they heard a noise. They all looked down towards the floor. A brown mouse had crawled up the conveyer belt. "Hey, you! Shoo!" But it was too late. The mouse had entered the Pantograph. Eager to see the results, they rushed to the other side. Before long, the Pantograph opened again. The mouse skidded down the belt, followed closely by a toy replica. Erin snatched up one before it could run off, but missed the other. Before they could blink, she'd run off in search of the other one.

"Look, you can't get much better than that." Santa contemplated the options, and then agreed. "I can't watch this." Bernard walked over to Erin, who was under a desk trying to get the mouse. The poor thing was looking around, desperately trying to find a way to get away from the giant human. Erin, sensing it was afraid of her, began to softly whisper comforts to the creature. Suddenly, the Pantograph gave off a loud noise, scarring the mouse. It jumped and ran past her, only to be caught in Bernard's waiting hand. He gently stroked its fur to calm it down a little, then handed it to her.

'Thanks Bernard. I thought I'd never catch him." She gave him her warm smile and for a second Bernard felt this warm, calming, weird feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what it was, but it felt good. "You're welcome." Suddenly, Curtis shouted, "It's perfect!" "That's because it's me Einstein." They rushed over to join Santa and Curtis. "Santa, are you ok?" "There's a shock in there."

Erin wasn't paying much attention. She was preoccupied with the two mice. She decided to name one of them Socrates and the other Aristotle. Suddenly, the guys started to scream. As she looked up, a hand reached up to cover her eyes. "Hey! What's going on?" "It's NAKED!" She understood perfectly and waited patiently for whatever it was to be covered up properly. Finally, the hand was removed from her eyes, and she had to pinch herself to make sure what she was seeing was real.

Before her very eyes stood two Santa's. It was obvious which one was the toy Santa because his face looked rubbery and his hair looked waxy. "Can he talk?" "Go ahead." So Santa began to talk to his toy self. At first it didn't respond, but then it began to repeat him. Bernard just stood their staring at them. 'Not bad." "Not bad yourself." "I'll be right back." "He's coming right back. "Santa pulled Erin and Bernard off to the side. "I need your help." "What do you mean?"

" I need you two to convince the elves that…Toy Santa is me." "Ah, hmm. Have you seen that thing?" '_Well, at least they're on the same train of thought.'_ "I have seen it, and I think that if you keep the elves at a distance and tell them…I changed my look, this might work." He was starting to convince Erin, but Bernard still remained skeptical. "Santa, we are in way over our heads here." "If anyone can do this it's you, Bernard." "We're not gonna lie to all the elves, are we Erin." He turned to her and saw she was smiling and nodding at Santa. "Are we Erin?" He asked, only this time he didn't sound so sure of her answer.

* * *

Me: Hello, all you people who are still reading this story! I have a confession to make. This is not the original typed chapter. Only half of it was saved and moved to a different computer before the one with the rest of it **and** the rest of the story crashed, so that's why the story kind of died for awhile.  
_(Sees the evil men with the shovels come closer)  
_Back off evil demons!  
_(Whacks them with rolling pins, shovels, and any other blunt objects she can find)  
_That ought to keep them away for a few weeks, or until I post my next chapter. Any who, it's time to meet my insane homeskillet, Dom'sgurl!

Dom'sgurl: What's up, homeskillets! _(Cuddles Jaybird)_ Guess who I've got for us today?

Me: Just a sec. In case you haven't read my other fanfic Enchanting Eyes, I decided to invite my good friend Dom'sgurl to come over at the end of each chapter along with anyone she can kidnap along the way. Now, who did you kidnap today?

Dom'sgurl: I got, drum roll please, _(drum roll) _Zigzag from Holes!

Zigzag: Huh?

Me: Aww, isn't he so hot?

Dom'sgurl: Yep.

Jay: Hey, what am I, chopped liver?

Dom'sgurl: But not as cute as Jay-Jay! _(Kisses Jay)_

Jay: That's more like it.

Zigzag: Why am I here?

Me: _(Menacing and evil like)_ You're here to ask the readers to review for my story. If they don't review, I don't post, and if I don't post, no one can come to take your place, and then you'll be stuck here forever.

Zigzag: _(Completely terrified)_ Review, people!

Dom'sgurl: Aww, you scared the poor boy!

Zigzag: Help me, please! I don't wanna stay here!

Me: It's better than digging holes, isn't it?

Zigzag: You've got a point. But still, they need to review, don't they?

Me: Absolutely.  
_(Evil men come back)  
_Die, evil men!  
_(Drop kicks the men senseless)_

Dom'sgurl: Scary, isn't she?

Zigzag and Jay: Yep.

Me: _(Continues to beat the ever-loving snot out of the evil men)_


	6. Goodbye, Mr C!

Love is the Best Medicine 

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Words_ ' thought, " Words " speech, _Words _song lyrics, " Words " more than one person speaking, **Words **emphasis

* * *

Chapter 6: Goodbye, Mr. C.!

"I myself think he looks absolutely terrific! Better, andmore confidentthan he's been in years. There's now a more supple venire to his skin and an added luster to the thickness of his hair. You could almost say there's a…a toy like quality to him." Bernard was smiling as he told the elves this, but it was fake and strained. He'd sort of been right when he'd said **they **weren't going to lie to the elves. All Erin had to do was act like he was Santa and that she'd known him most of her life. **He** was the one who had to verbally lie to the elves.

"Most importantly, he's very happy with his new look, so I would caution you all not to point or stare or use the word 'plastic'. Okay? Okay. Thank you. Back to work." Once he knew no one was looking, the smile quickly turned into a frown. He began to head for the stables. Erin, who had been in the shadows trying not to laugh at his lame speech, followed him. "Wow, Bernard, you were terrific back there. No one could tell that you were actually lieing through your teeth. You're one smooth talker, you are, you are."

You would have to have been deaf and stupid to not notice the sarcasm dripping from her words. "Spare me your idiotic and juvenile comments, Erin." She giggled. "Oo, Ickle Bernardikins can use big words. I'm impressed. Why didn't you use words like that in your speech, Einstein?" He cringed at the nickname before replying. "My speech was just fine." "Oh, sure, if you were speaking to people with an I.Q. of -10. Come on, Bernard, who uses phrases like 'there's a toy like quality to him' nowadays, huh?"

They reached Santa before Bernard could say something he knew he would end up regretting. Besides, it was all in fun. He walked over to Santa and Comet while Erin waited for her turn to say goodbye. "Before you go, take a look at your watch." "Wow, Bernard, thanks." "You like it?" "It's great. I love all the little burnished stuff." "I've added a power reserve that shows how much magic you have left. It's at 10 now." Santa began putting the watch on his wrist. "That should be enough."

"But if at any time you use magic, the level drops. Santa, if it gets to 0, you can't come back." Santa motioned for Bernard to lean forward, as if he were about to tell him a secret. "Then let's not let it get to 0." Santa laughed while Bernard merely half grinned. "Now," Bernard placed his hands on Santa's shoulders as he spoke. "What's the most important thing?" "For you not to touch Santa?" Bernard quickly removed his hands while Erin tried desperately not to laugh. "No, for you to come back!" That's when Erin decided it was her turn. She walked up to him and gave him a huge hug. "See you later then, huh Erin?" "You bet. Tell Charlie to write often." "I will."

He then proceeded to talk to Comet. "Come on, Comet. It's not like we're pulling the sleigh. There's no packages, it's just one stop,oh, and I forgot to mention, we'regonna gosee Charlie." That did it. Comet took off faster than the Roadrunner. Bernard and Erin stood there watching him leave. "Well, I promised I'd meet Abbie and Judy today for some cocoa. See ya Bernard." Before she could get away, he threw a question at her. "How can you be so happy? Do you realize that if he doesn't find a wife, you can't stay here anymore? You won't have anywhere to go." She stopped and just stood there, not saying anything. He was about to walk away when she began to softly whisper.

"Nathan always said that when he got out of the army he'd build us a house by the ocean because no matter how bad any of our days had been, we always cooled off and had fun at the beach. I can still hear the sound of the pounding surf. I can't wait to go back. It'll be great. You, Curtis, Abbie, and Judy can come stay there, too, if you want. I'm sure you'll love it." He noticed that the entire time she'd been speaking she had this wistful look; like she was remembering things she'd forgotten since the accident.

He was about to tell her they'd be delighted when, as suddenly as it'd happened, the look disappeared, replaced by her usual smile. "Well, bye." And with that, she dashed off to meet the girls. Bernard just stood there, thinking about the change he'd just seen in her. One minute she was happy-go-lucky girl, the next she looked as if she'd never be happy again, and then back to happy girl. He knew the only answers would come from Erin herself, but would she reveal them? '_Why do you keep these secrets, Erin? They'll only end up destroying you inside._' He went to check on Curtis and Toy Santa, these thoughts never leaving his mind.

* * *

Me: _Kononichwa!_ Hey-hey-hoo! I'm not dead yet! The creepy evil men put up a good fight, but I won!  
_(Points to 3 evil men tied up over a very deep pool)_

Evil Man #1: Just you wait!

Evil Man #2: You may have won the battle, but the war is far from over!

Evil Man #3: We have not yet begun to fight!

Me: _(dunks them into the pool)  
_Silence, foul beings. Now, where ever did Dom'sgurl go to?

Dom'sgurl: Here I am! Look who I managed to snag along the way!

Dracula: How did I get here?

Me: _(Squeals with joy)_  
YAY! DRACKIE!

Dracula: Drackie?

Dom'sgurl: Yes, now if you beg the readers to review and they actually review, she'll let go of you and stop calling you Drackie.

Dracula: Help me. Please review.

Jay: Welcome to my world. But at least my nicknames better.

Dom'sgurl: Of course it is Bluejay. Or Jaybird. Or Carpet.

Dracula: Carpet?

Jay: Don't ask. Anyway, review or you're not our homeskillets.

Dracula: Homeskillets?

Jay; Shut up.

Me: Speaking of reviews, WHY HASEN'T ANYONEBEEN REVIEWING!

Dracula: Ow.

Evil Man #1: They hate your story!

Evil Man #2: Yeah!

Evil Man #3: Dom'sgurl didn't even review!

Me: SHUT UP! _(Dunks them into the pool for a **long** time)_


	7. Falling in Love

Love is the Best Medicine

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Words_ ' thought, " Words " speech, _Words _song lyrics, " Words " more than one person speaking, **Words **emphasis  
Disclaimer for this chapter only: I don't own David Bowie's song 'As the World Falls Down' from 'Labryinth'.

* * *

Chapter 7: Falling in Love

Bernard wouldn't admit it out loud, but Curtis's idea seemed to be working. He hated the fact that he could possibly loose his job over this. He still had a nagging doubt in the back of his mind about it all, but he shoved it aside thinking he was paranoid. Right now they were walking around the workshop with Toy Santa. Erin had wanted to sleep in today. Both elves held back a little, letting the giant toy go ahead. "Why don't you just say it? 'You were right Curtis. I was wrong'" "Okay, okay. I admit it." He knew when to give in. "Everything's gonna be okay." That's when Toy Santa walked back over to them.

"This is some interesting reading. There are a bunch of rules right now they're not following." "That's what I've been saying!" Bernard suddenly looked at Curtis like he had 10 heads. What was he doing? "Things have gotten a little to sloppy around here." "And sloppiness means mistakes and MISTAKES AREN'T A GOOD THING! I think I'll have to make some changes around here." Curtis followed him, leaving Bernard behind. He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and headed straight towards Erin's room. She was the only one around that knew of the switch and still had her sanity.

* * *

Erin was just starting to get dressed. She started the music on her laptop and pulled a Nightmare Before Christmas feminine styled t-shirt and a black skirt with black and red petticoat material underneath out of the closet. As she pulled these on, she groped around for her Jack choker and put it on. She then grabbed her chopsticks and did her hair up in a bun, sticking them in when she was done. Just as she was putting her socks on she heard a knock. "Coming!" She hastily pulled on the other sock before rushing to the door. She opened it to reveal Bernard. "Hey! Come in!" 

_There's such a sad love deep in your eyes  
__A kind of pale jewel open and closed  
__Within your eyes  
__I'll place the sky within your eyes_

He smiled at her as he stepped in. She went to sit down on her bed and put on some ankle high boots. "So, how'd it go with Rubber Face?" He chuckled a little at the use of the toys nickname, but stopped when he remembered why he was there. "Oh, fine until Curtis stabbed me in the back." "What?" "I actually thought we could be friends in that split second, and then what does he do? He goes and tries to get on Toy Santas good side. I knew he'd do anything to get my job, and he probably will now." "What do you mean?" "He was such a suck up! I can't stand him." Erin motioned for him to sit down next to her. He did so, wanting to know what she'd tell him. He wasn't expecting her to hold his hand. His heart was pounding in his ears so much he could barely hear her.

_There's such a fooled heart beating so fast  
__It's such a new dream a love that will last  
__Within your heart  
__I'll place the moon within your heart_

'_What was I thinking, grabbing his hand like that? Come on, Brain. Don't fail me now. What do I say?_' "What happened to the old Bernard, who was all business, but still fun to hang around? Where's the Bernard I know? Because I know he wouldn't be worried about something like that. He'd be worried about Santa's safety and how to handle all the work he had piling up in front of him. Where'd he go, huh?" Her tone softened a little as she began again. "Besides, no matter how much of a suck up Curtis is, or anyone else for that matter, no one will ever be as good a Head Elf as you, Bernard."

_As the pain seeps through makes no sense for you  
__Every thrill is gone wasn't too much fun before  
__But I'll be there for you  
__As the world falls down_

He couldn't believe it. With a few words, she'd made him feel better almost instantly. '_This must be what love feels like. Wait a minute, feels like? This has to be love. That's the only explanation for how weird I've been lately._' He smiled at her, and she felt like she was flying. '_He's so gosh-darn gorgeous when he smiles. Wait, what am I thinking? He's at least 2,000 years old! It'll never work out. But…he's so hot when he smiles._' "Let's go get some cocoa." "Sure, and some cereal wouldn't be too bad either." He laughed as she went to shut down her computer.

_Falling in love_

* * *

Me: Yay! Bernard has finally come to grips with his feelings, but why hasn't Erin. You'll find out in the next chapter, won't you? _(Arrow lands right in front of her at her feet)_ AAAHHHH! WE"RE UNDER ATTACK! _(Ducks behind huge rock fort)_ I knew this day would come. 

Dom'sgurl: What's up homeskillet? _(Nearly gets skewered by a spear) _AAAHHH! WE"RE AT WAR!

Me: Please tell me you brought someone who can fight.

Dom'sgurl: I did better than that. Say hello to most of the Fellowship of the Ring and Faramir!

Me: Most of?

Dom'sgurl: No Frodo or Sam.

Me: Oh. _(Ducks arrows) _HELP! H IS FOR HURRY; E IS FOR ERGENT; L IS FOR LOVE ME; P IS FOR PLEASE! HELP! (Yellow Submarine reference)

Aragorn: For Frodo. _(Charges forward into swarm of evil men)_

Legolas: _(Fires arrows at rapid speed)_

Gimli, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin: _(Hack away at the evil men using axes, swords, daggers, and staffs)_

Me: _(Use impressive karate moves to kick the ever-loving snot out of evil men)_

Dom'sgurl: I guess that means Jay-Jay gets the honors today.

Jay: Review! Our lives and the life of this story depend on your reviews!


	8. Getting to Know You

Love is the Best Medicine 

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying 'laughter is the best medicine'. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Words_ ' thought, " Words " speech, _Words _song lyrics, " Words " more than one person speaking, **Words **emphasis

Disclaimer for this chapter only: I don't own 'Getting to Know You' from 'The King and I', Cocoa Puffs, that line from 'What a Girl Wants' (You know, 'Do you like Cocoa Puffs?' 'It's chocolate, need I say more?'), or any other random stuff mentioned in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8: Getting to Know You

Soon the two of them were sitting down in the kitchen waiting for the cocoa. Abbie had found a box of Cocoa Puffs, so Erin had begun eating while she waited. "Bernard, do you like Cocoa Puffs?" "Erin, it's chocolate. Need I say more?" They laughed together at his comment. "Too true. Hey, do you have a favorite book?" This caught Bernard off guard, but he answered her nonetheless. "Probably 'The Lord of the Rings'." "No way. That's my favorite book series too." "Really?" "Yep." Just then Abbie brought them their drinks. They were still talking when they left. They didn't notice Abbie watching them. She smiled as they walked away. '_They make a cute couple. I've got to tell Judy. She probably saw it already, though._'

* * *

It had been awhile since they'd sat down for cocoa. Now they were just walking around and talking about stuff. "Ok, your favorite movie." "Um, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'." "That movie was good, but not as good as my favorite movie." "Which is?" "'The Nightmare Before Christmas', what else?" "True, true. My turn. Um, favorite musical." "'Phantom of the Opera' hands down." "Really. Same here." "No way. It's kind of creepy how much we have in common, isn't it?" "Kind of." "Okay, how about favorite song?" "Um, 'All I Want for Christmas is You' or 'Only Hope'. You?" " 'Elevation' or 'Think of Me'. Bernard smiled at her. "That's interesting." "What?" "The fact that you can be so flexible in your opinion. I mean, who else do you know of that likes a movie like 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', and yet one of their favorite songs is from 'The Phantom of the Opera' and the other is by the Counting Crows. It's really interesting."

_Getting to know you_  
_Getting to know all about you  
__Getting to like you_  
_Getting to hope you like me_

She blushed lightly at the comment. '_He thinks my opinions are interesting. Does that mean he thinks **I'm** interesting?_' Before she could reply, she started to yawn. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that neither of them had been paying much attention to the time, so they didn't notice how late it had gotten. Erin also hadn't noticed how tired she'd become over the past, how long had they been walking? About an hour, maybe more? Her eyes were beginning to droop. Bernard draped one of her arms over his head so he could keep her from falling over. They trudged back in the direction of their rooms.

_Getting to know you_  
_Putting it my way but nicely  
__You are precisely  
__My cup of tea_

Curtis, Abbie, and Judy were sitting down enjoying some cocoa and cookies when they spotted Bernard practically carrying Erin back to her room. "Hey, look! There's Bernard! Ber-ummfh!" Before he could ruin the moment between the two, Abbie and Judy had clamped their hands over his mouth and pulled him down. "What's the big idea?" "We couldn't let you ruin the moment." "What moment?" Judy rolled her eyes. "Guys are so dense. It's so obvious that they love each other." "Love each other? Where'd you get that idea?" "Don't you see how they look at each other? No, you probably don't. You're so preoccupied with trying to get Bernard's job you don't think about his feelings." "Hey! That's not true. Okay, yeah, it is, but I do notice that whenever he's around her he's not himself." "That's because he's in love, idiot."

_Getting to know you  
Getting to feel free and easy  
__When I am with you  
__Getting to know what to say_

By now they'd reach their respective rooms. Bernard shook her a little. "Erin, we're at your room. It's time for bed." She groaned slightly before slowly removing her head from his shoulder. She walked over to her door, but didn't go inside. Instead, she turned back to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight Bernard." And with that she left him standing in the hall. He slowly brought his hand up to the spot where she'd kissed him. "Goodnight Erin." He whispered before entering his own room.

_Haven't you noticed  
__Suddenly I'm bright and breezy  
__Because of all the beautiful and new  
__Things I'm learning about you_

Erin was too tired to change completely. She pulled of her boots to free her aching feet, but left her socks on. She trudged over to herlaptop and turned it on, setting it to repeat shuffle. She took her hair down and set her chopsticks by her hairbrush, knowing she wouldn't remember putting them there, then laid her choker down next to them. She then plopped down on her bed without a single shred of poise. Bernard, not being as tired as her, actually had time to change into something to sleep in before he to fell onto his bed. Both of them fell asleep thinking of the events that day, but none more so than that kiss on the cheek. Did it mean friendship, or something more?

_Day by day_

* * *

Me: Hey, this is better than the original typed version. Amazing, isn't it? Anyway, once again, we were triumphant against the evil men who want to kill my story. _(points to various bodies strewn about)_ Halfway through the battle the ghost army from 'The Return of the King' showed up, along with the Rohiram and the Gondorian army, so the odds were in our favor. You have to pity them, really.

Dom'sgurl: They'll be back won't they?

Me: Of course they will, but I will never give up! Dead authors do not write fan fiction!

Dom'sgurl: You're scaring me, Kibo no Hikari.

Me: Anyway, who did you choose to have the honor of begging the readers today?

Dom'sgurl: Well, I liked them so much from your other story that I decided to bring back Gerard and Bert, the cutest couple EVER!

_(Once again they're cuddling and kissing and being down right sweet)_

Dom'sgurl: They're just too cute!

Me: I agree. _(An arrow with a message tied to it lands at her feet)_

Dom'sgurl: What's it say?

Me: 'Surrender and give up writing or else we shall destroy you and anyone around you at the time along with this hideous story. Signed, The Evil Fan Fiction Killing Men.'

Dom'sgurl: They must be incredibly stupid to think you'd give up that easily.

Me: Of course they are. That's why they haven't given up yet. Either that or they're incredibly brave.

Dom'sgurl: I doubt it.

Me: Yeah. Anyhoo, since our guests are 'ahem' preoccupied and Jay's off with Silent Bob somewhere, I shall beg and plead for you to review. _(Falls down on her hands and knees)_ Oh, please review! Please, please, please! I swear to update more if you review!

Dom'sgurl: That's just sad, girl.


	9. Hanging By a Moment

Love is the Best Medicine

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person. I might include some song lyrics in latter chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. _'thought_ ' , " speech " ,_ song lyrics_, more than one person speaking,** emphasis  
**Disclaimer for this chapter only: The speech Curtis gives Bernard is a copy of when Tomoyo is talking to Syaoran in volume 4 of 'Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow' about telling Sakura his feelings, so I don't own it, the song 'Hanging by a Moment' by Lifehouse, or anything else familiar in this chapter, so no suing!

* * *

Chapter 9: Hanging By A Moment

"I think he's learning at an accelerated rate!" "Oh, really. This morning he ate a bowl of wax fruit." Obviously Bernard was still mad at Curtis, but nothing could ruin how he felt inside. At least, that's what he thought. "Wait a minute. I need the Naughty and Nice list." Bernard shook his head. "No." "Oh, yes, yes! It says here that I need the Naughty-Nice list." "Santa already checked it." "No I didn't." "The real Santa." "I am the real Santa." Bernard couldn't believe his ears. "What?" "I'm in charge here." "Excuse me?" "The rules say I need the Naughty-Nice list. I like rules, I think you know how I feel about that." Curtis decided that now was the time to intervene.

"I've got an idea. How about we have some fun." Toy Santa (not knowing what 'fun' was) just stood there, silent for once. "It's good to have fun." Bernard nodded; glad for once that Curtis was number 2 elf. "Hey, Santa. You see those elves over there? Go ahead. Go play some Tinsel Football." 'What's the object of this game?" While Curtis briefly explained football Bernard's eyes searched for Erin. It didn't take long for him to spot her sitting on the steps with Abbie and Judy. They seemed to be sharing her headphones while they watched her sketch something. Most of her hair was pulled back, so he was able to see her expressions more clearly. Once Toy Santa had run off and was out of earshot, Curtis spoke up. "So, did you tell her?" Bernard looked down at him. What did he mean? _'Does he know?'_ "What?" "Did you tell Erin you love her?" '_Darn, is it that obvious?_'

_Desperate for changing  
__Starving for truth  
__Closer where I started  
__Chasing after you_

He desperately tried to cover up the truth, "What do you mean?" He wasn't succeeding. "Fess up. I saw you two yesterday. Abbie and Judy can vouch for me. You two looked like two turtledoves. You were happier than we've ever seen you before. You can't tell me that's not love." Bernard sighed, a sign that he was defeated. "Alright, you got me. I love her. But what if yesterday she thought we were just friends? What if she doesn't feel the same?" "Calm down, Bernard. I know you don't want to make Erin unhappy, but she isn't the type to hold onto sadness forever. If you confess your feelings she'll accept them and give you the answer that's best for her." Bernard looked back at Erin for a second before replying. "You're right." "The Great Bernard is admitting that I, lowly Curtis, am right? It's the end of the world." Bernard laughed as he turned his gaze from Erin to Toy Santa.

_I'm falling even more in love with you  
__Letting go of all I've held onto  
__I'm standing here until you make me move  
__I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

* * *

Erin had sat down to sketch the ice rink and the football players, but she just couldn't get yesterday off her mind. Frustrated, she sighed, pulled on her headphones, and pushed play to resume her song.

_Forgetting all I'm lacking  
__Completely incomplete  
__I'll take your invitation  
__You take all of me_

_Now... I'm falling even more in love with you  
__Letting go of all I've held onto  
__I'm standing here until you make me move  
__I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

As she sketched whatever she thought of, Abbie and Judy tried to sneak up on her. "Don't even think about it, you two." Both elfesses laughed as they sat next to her on either side. "How'd you know we were there?" "My music's not that loud, Abbie. Your feet were crunching the snow." "What're you listening to?" "A CD I made on my computer. You wanna hear?" Both girls nodded, each eager to be the first. "Okay, um, Judy first." She slipped the headphones over the elfess's ears and unpaused the music.

_I'm living for the only thing I know  
__I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
__I don't know what I'm diving into  
__Just hanging by a moment here with you_

_There's nothing else to lose  
__Nothing left to find  
__There's nothing in the world  
__That could change my mind  
__There is nothing else  
__There is nothing else..._

Erin paused it quickly and took the headphones. "Abbie's turn now." Abbie slipped on the headphones faster than Erin thought she would. Once they were on her head she pushed play.

_Desperate for changing  
__Starving for truth  
__Closer where I started  
__Chasing after you_

_I'm falling even more in love with you  
__Letting go of all I've held onto  
__I'm standing here until you make me move  
__I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

"That's a neat song. What's it called?" Abbie asked as she handed the headphones back to Erin. "'Hanging by a Moment' by Lifehouse. It's one of my favorite songs." The girls decided it was time to talk about the other day. "Does it make you feel a certain way about a certain someone?" Erin knew what they meant, but decided to play dumb for now. "What do you mean?" "We mean Bernard, silly. Does listening to this song help you realize how much you care for him?" Erin was silent as she thought about it. She looked inside herself to find the answer. "Yes. I love him. But it would never work out." "Why?" "The age barrier, for one thing. I'm 16 and he's, what, 2,000?" "So?" "Remember your book '_The Lord of the Rings_'? Arwen was an elf, but she still married Aragorn." "Besides, he seems to be the only thing on your mind." Judy pointed to her sketchbook. Erin had unconsciously sketched Bernard. "I see your point." She closed her eyes as she heard the end of the song in her head.

_I'm living for the only thing I know  
__I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
__I don't know what I'm diving into  
__Just hanging by a moment here with you_

_Just hanging by a moment  
__Hanging by a moment...  
__Hanging by a moment...  
__Hanging by a moment here with you..._

She breathed a gentle sigh. "Look at Santa!" She looked to where Abbie and Judy were pointing and cringed. '_Bernard is not going to be happy about this. Not happy at all._' And she couldn't have been more right. Bernard was furious! Toy Santa was out there demolishing the elves in football! He would show no mercy. Even Curtis was shocked at how rough Toy Santa was. Eventually, only Joey remained. He was so terrified he just ran. Toy Santa chased him up the stairs and tried to tackle him. Fortunately, he missed. Bernard stood there, then turned to Curtis. He had a slightly evil look in his eyes. "It's good to have fun, huh?" Curtis took the hint and ran as fast as he could, Bernard close behind him.

* * *

Me: Yay! Another chappie!

Evil Men: NOOOOOOO!

Me: HAH! You thought I'd given up, didn't you? Well, I have not yet begun to fight! What do you have to say to that? (_Shower of arrows and rocks_) EEPP!

Dom'sgurl: You need better defenses.

Me: _(Looks at rock fort)_ You're right.

Dom'sgurl: And I know just the person to talk to!

Me: Who?

Dom'sgurl: Artemis Fowl II of course! _(Yanks him into view)_

Artemis: What is the meaning of this? Butler!

Dom'sgurl: Butler's not here. We need you to give my friend here a new security system.

Artemis: What's in it for me?

Me: Your freedom.

Artemis: I accept. _(Begins working)_

Me: Yay! Anyhoo, review people, or Artemis's pains will be for naught.

Dom'sgurl: You're doing Shakespeare in school, aren't you?

Me: Duh. _(Begins to recite from random plays)_

Dom'sgurl: _(Sighs)_ Just review, people. Please. Now.


	10. Bring Me to Life

Love is the Best Medicine 

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person (Duh.). I'm including song lyrics in some chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Thought _', "Speech ", _Song lyrics_, "More than one person speaking ", **Emphasis **

Disclaimer for this chapter only: I don't own the video mentioned in this story. Some genius does. I also don't own the song 'Bring Me to Life' by Evanescence. There, happy now?

AN: _Here comes my impersonation of Carlotta . . .You lave me. You lave me. Lave me, lave me! 10 reviews! But I need more. More, you hear! Umm, sorry, I'm kind hyper. Anyhoo, for those of you reading my Mummy fic, I have serious writers block! Besides,Dom'sgurl **really** wants me to finish this, so when I'm capable of writing Mummy fics, I'll pick it up. For now, Ciao! That's pronounced 'chow', you ninnies._

AN2:_ Thank you SO much Dom'sgurl! You're the reason I'm still doing this. You supported me and my crazy mind. That's why I thank you in every chapter in the notes, but that's not enough. So, from now on this story is dedicated to you. I hope this either shocks you or makes you cry. Oh, and thanks for letting me borrow Phantom of the Opera. I know you've got borrowing issues._

Now, on with the fic.

* * *

Chapter 10: Bring Me to Life

Bernard was visiting Erin again, but this time he had a reason. He wanted to get her a gift for Christmas, but he didn't know what she liked anymore. Sure, the information from a few days ago helped, but she already had those things. So he'd been asking her things like what was her favorite color _(For the wrapping paper)_, her favorite music in general _(She didn't really have one, but she said Country)_ and other things. He'd just thought of a very good question. "What was the best gift you ever got?" For a moment he thought he'd said something wrong, because she suddenly went quiet. He was about to apologize when she finally spoke.

"Before he left, my brother Nathan gave me a silver locket with his picture on one side and the other blank. He told me that whenever I feel I've met my soul mate, I should stick his picture in the blank side. That way, the two most important men in my life would always be near my heart." They were both silent, then she spoke up again. "Unfortunately, some loser stole it when I took it off for P.E." Bernard was still quiet as she got up to get her chopsticks. _'That sounds like a beautiful gift, but how am I supposed to compete with that?'_

This was a problem. He didn't have anything to compete with that. Unless . . . "Are you sure someone stole it?" "Positive, but they probably threw it away." Yes, he could do this, but he'd need Curtis's help. "I'd better go." "Oh, okay." Either Bernard was imagining things, or Erin was sad to see him go. "Can I borrow your CD player?" "Sure. I've got a burned CD in there right now, but if you want to change it . . ." "No, it's okay. See ya." "Bye." The instant he left she clicked the play button using her mouse and sat down. This time it was a Draco/Hermione video set to Evanescence's song 'Bring Me to Life'. _'Interesting combination.'_

_How can you see into my eyes_  
_Like open doors  
__Leading you down into my core  
__Where I become so numb_

It was one of her favorite songs. Heck, even Nathan liked it, and that was saying something. Normally, they never liked the same music. The song seemed to fit them both when they were depressed.

_Without a soul  
__My spirits sleeping somewhere cold  
__Until you find it there and  
__Lead it back home_

Suddenly, Erin realized what she'd become. She'd shown no emotion. She'd felt nothing but pain for the longest time. She hadn't cared about anything since her mother's death two years ago. Then Bernard popped back into her life.

_(Wake me up) Wake me up inside  
__(Can't wake up) Wake me up inside  
__(Save me) Call my name and  
__Save me from the dark_

He'd taught her how to laugh again and smile like she really meant it. He'd taught her the meaning of fun. He'd taught her how important it was to have friends. But by far the most important thing he taught her was how to love again. She loved him. She finally admitted to her head what her heart knew all along.

_(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run  
__(Can't wake up) before I come undone  
__(Save me) Save me from  
__The nothing I've become_

Now she was afraid. She was so afraid that he didn't feel the same, that he didn't love her back. She was afraid of being hurt, of losing their friendship over this. He couldn't abandon her now, not after he'd just brought her back to life.

* * *

Me: Does this qualify as angst?

Dom'sgurl: I guess.

Me: Oh my God! I wrote angst!

Evil Men: CHARGE! _(Run into invisible barrier)_

Me and Dom'sgurl: OOHHHHHHHH that **HAD** to HURT!

Me: Artemis definitely earned his freedom.

Dom'sgurl: Yep. Oh, speaking of which, I brought our favorite wizards, Ron and Malfoy!

Ron: What's going on?

Malfoy: You wait 'till my father hears about this!

Ron and Dom'sgurl: Shut up Malfoy!

Me: Don't yell at him!

Malfoy: Remember your place, Weasley.

Me: Before you two start dueling, could you beg the readers to review?

Dom'sgurl: Yeah! We'll send you back if they do!

Malfoy: Review, all you muggles out there

Ron: How do you know their muggles?

Malfoy: Let's get on with it.

Dom'sgurl: I'm Ron's second!

Me: I call Malfoy!


	11. The Perfect Gift

Love is the Best Medicine

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person (Duh.). I'm including song lyrics in some chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Thought _', "Speech ", _Song lyrics_, "More than one person speaking ", **Emphasis. **I changed the way I type the lyrics. From now on they'll be centered.  
Disclaimer for this chapter only: I don't own any of the songs in this chapter, like, 'Beautiful', 'Broken', 'Mine, All Mine', 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing', and, most importantly, 'Breathing' by Lifehouse. I no own, you no sue.

_Dedicated to Dom'sgurl 8).  
You rock, homeskillet!_

* * *

Chapter 11: Breathing

Bernard was in his room, Erin's headphones over his ears. He finally knew what to get her as a gift. He'd ask Curtis to find Erin's locket with some of his gadgets. Then, when he gave it back, he'd sing her a romantic song and confess his feelings. He pushed pause as the song ended and wrote it down. So far, he'd been through four songs: 'Beautiful' by Cristina Agulera, 'Broken' by Seether feat. Amy Lee, 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' by Aerosmith (He was seriously considering this one), and 'Mine All Mine' by SheDaisy. He pushed skip and play.

_I'm finding my way back to sanity again  
Though I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there  
I take a breath and hold on tight  
Spin around one more time  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace  
_

Bernard was amazed after the first few lines. This song was wonderful. It described how he felt around Erin perfectly. He held his decision till the chorus.

_Cause I am hanging on every word you're saying  
Even if you don't want to speak tonight  
That's alright, alright with me  
Cause I want nothing more than  
To sit outside heavens door  
And listen to you breathing  
It's where I want to be, Yeah_

He really did hang onto every word she said. Sometimes he felt as if her breathing was enough to satisfy him. He stopped the song. It was perfect! He had to find Curtis.

* * *

Curtis was drinking cocoa in the Universal Pantograph. The other elves were on their brakes, too. He sat mulling about whether Bernard still wanted to knock him into next week. "Curtis!" Speak of the devil. "What? What'd I do?" "Nothing. I need your help." Before Curtis could make a snide remark, Bernard lunged into explaining his plan. When he finished, he looked desperately at the much shorter elf. 

"Please, Curtis. You've gotta help me." "Of course I'll help you! Bernard, that's brilliant!" "Thanks." "I can use one of my tracking inventions to find the locket. I'll even polish it up for ya." "That's great." Curtis beamed before continuing. "Now, about the song. You can either sing it a cappella or I can burn the song onto one of Erin's blank CD's and remove the singer's voice. The second option will take longer, but you'd have the music to work with." "I'll think about it. Thanks again." "Don't mention it. Now, let's go find "Santa"." They both walked out into the workshop, and froze almost instantly at what they saw. _'Oh no, now what?'_

* * *

Me: Would that be considered a cliffhanger? 

Dom'sgurl: Yes, I think.

Me: All right! _(Spies Evil Men on the hill)_ We've got company!

Dom'sgurl: Don't worry! I've got Kenshin, Sano, Saito, Alucard, and D with me today! _(Turns to the line behind her)_ On my command!

Evil Men: CHARGE!

Dom'sgurl: NOW!

_(Huge battle with Evil Men and the Allies)_

Erin: _(Sweatdrops)_ Uh, Jay, you can have the honor of begging the reviewers.

Jay: Review, all you _(Erin covers his mouth)_ mmfh!

Erin: Using appropriate language, please!

Jay: I was gonna say 'freakin' losers', ya insane _(Erin covers his mouth again)_ mmfh!

Me: Never mind! Okay, all you readers, review if you want to find out if we survive! _(Dodges an arrow)_ Hey, watch it!


	12. Trouble

Love is the Best Medicine 

Summary: This is a Santa Clause 2 fanfic. Erin's heart has been shattered by the deaths of most of the people she loves a year prior to the events in this story. She believes anyone she loves will get hurt so she refuses to show any feelings of affection, developing a case of the melancholies. It's time for someone to supply her with the best kind of medicine, which isn't laughter. Bernard/OC  
Disclaimer: I don't own SC2. Disney does. So there! I only own Erin, who's based on me, by the way -.  
Notes: Since I don't think the movies ever say where Charlie and his family live, I've put them in New York. Scott and Santa are the same person (Duh.). I'm including song lyrics in some chapters. I based the title on the saying _laughter is the best medicine_. Big thanks to my friend Dom'sgurl, my homeskillet. '_Thought _', "Speech ", _Song lyrics_, "More than one person speaking ", **Emphasis. **I changed the way I type the lyrics. From now on they'll be centered.  
Disclaimer for this chapter only: I definitely do NOT own 'Stay Awake' from the Disney's Marry Poppins. Don't sue me.

_Dedicated to Dom'sgurl 8)  
You rock, homeskillet!_

Chapter 12: Trouble

"Curtis, what is he doing in the Naughty and Nice center?" They hurried over to him. "What're you doing?" "I'm checking the Naughty and Nice list; actually I'm checking it twice." Bernard was getting agitated. "I already told you!" He lowered his voice so as not to startle the other elves. "It's been checked. Don't worry about it." "Well, I do worry about it. There're lots of mistakes on here. I'll give you a big fat for instance; there's a guy in Denmark named Sven Holstein. He's a Dane. Apparently, he was wiping his nose on his sister's shirt. Yuck! That isn't very nice, and yet he's on the Nice list."

"We try to cut most of the kids a little slack this time of year." "I don't understand that! Children are running rampant with naughtiness. They run with scissors, they're always sticky, 'No I'm not gonna stop this car', 'Brush your teeth', 'Pick up those clothes', it goes on and on." "But they're just kids. Everybody misbehaves sometime." "But according to the Santa Handbook Naughty kids get lumps of coal in their stockings, right? And if they don't have stockings, we will make them stockings. In my little personal opinion I think they should all get coal in their stockings, don't you?"

"No! That's not how it works!" "Get me the Naughty Nice list. Get me EVERY list! GET ME everything." Bernard was shocked. He stared down at Curtis before dashing off. He HAD to tell Erin.

* * *

Erin had managed to convince Bernard to go to his room, but he said he was too anxious to sleep like she told him to. So she thought up a plan. She followed him into his room. It looked the same as hers with the same furniture, except it was clean and didn't have a laptop. "I bet I can make you sleep." "No you can't. I'm far too nervous. I knew this was a bad idea." "Just get in bed and let me try, okay?" He decided to humor her and lay on top of his bed. She sat down at his desk and did something he didn't expect: she began to sing.

_Stay awake  
Don't rest your head  
Don't lie down_  
_Upon your bed_

_While the moon  
__Drifts in the skies  
__Stay awake_  
_Don't close your eyes_

Despite his better judgment, Bernard found himself closing his eyes and relaxing. The song was so beautiful, so soothing. He knew it was a lullaby, and he knew she was trying to prove him wrong, but he couldn't help it.

_Though the world  
__Is fast asleep  
__Though your pillow's  
__Soft and deep_

_You're not sleepy  
__As you seem  
__Stay awake  
__Don't nod and dream_

Bernard was losing consciousness and Erin knew it. The last thing he heard was her voice singing the final lines.

_Stay awake  
__Don't nod and dream_

Erin started to hum the song when she noticed Bernard was fast asleep. '_Works like a charm._' She walked over and stood by him. '_Would it really hurt to give him a kiss?_' Figuring no, she leaned over and softly kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight, dearest Bernard." She quietly slipped out the door.

* * *

Me: Aww, cuteness!

Dom'sgurl: Yeah, ain't it?

Me: Oh, and by the way, majority of the Evil Men didn't live to see this chapter.

Dom'sgurl: Those guy's were pretty thorough.

Me: So, to celebrate, we've decided to bring in Julia Volkova and Lena Katina, also known as the Russian pop duo T.A.T.U.!

Dom'sgurl: Because they're cool!

Me: So while they're performing, Jay will beg you for reviews!

T.A.T.U.: _"__Starting from here, let's make a promise/You and me, let's just be honest/We're gonna run, nothing can stop us/Even the night that falls all around us"_

Jay: Review all you holy cats! Sorry, I'm not allowed to cuss.


End file.
